Christmas Tree Ornaments

What do you put on your tree? Is it color coordinated, with a theme? Do you match your lights to the glass balls, or decorate the entire tree in pine cones and plaid bows?

I think each tree is a reflection of the person who decorated it. Some are fashionable and polished - and they decorate with brocade and satin. Some are homey and "earthy" and they decorate with things from nature. And then there are the people like me.

One might say my tree indicates indecision, lack of style, or even disorganization. But it isn't that at all. Because, in fact, mine is a memory tree.

Each year when I take the ornaments out of the boxes I get to re-live good memories. Some ornaments date back to before my birth - because my Mom let me take a few special ones when I got married and had my own tree. Those are special to me because they were hers, and because they've always been a part of my life. But even more special are the ones my children made when they were small. They're grown now, but those ornaments go on the tree each year. In fact, we've had the same cardboard star on top of the tree for over 30 years! It's covered with gold paper and glitter, so I did have to renew the sparkley stuff a few years ago.

Then there are the events: Every time we go on a trip I either buy an ornament, or bring home something that I can make into an ornament. For instance: Last year I attended a copywriting seminar in Florida and went walking on the beach. Some of the shells I found turned into beautiful ornaments with just a little glitter added.

I never have trouble remembering where we were when I got any ornament, because they each depict something about the place or the event.

The year my younger son became a power lineman I made a set of ornaments for him. I had a lot of fun cutting little dowels, attaching cross arms, and gluing little beads on for insulators. Then I painted them silver and gold and put glitter on some of them. There's no way we'll forget that they joined us in the year 2000.

Other favorites are the gifts from friends. I always label them with the date and the name of the giver. Some of those people were part of our lives for only a short time, but each year when I see their ornament I stop and send them good wishes. One friend loves to give hand-made stuffed felt ornaments. We've been friends for a long time, so I'm getting a nice collection. And I not only appreciate their beauty, but the fact that it's safe to hang them on low branches in a house with 3 long-tailed dogs!

This year I lost a few ornaments, but luckily they were not any of my "memory ornaments." I had finished decorating the tree and gone to the basement to work - when I heard a loud thud. Yep - the tree was on the floor.

What a mess! And what a job cleaning up broken glass and then taking everything back off the tree to do over again. When a tree falls, strings of lights and garlands do everything except stay put!